Major jolt to BJP in Odisha, Bargarh district BJP president meet Naveen to join BJD

Bhubaneswar: Bargarh district BJP president Narayan Sahu resigned from the primary membership of the party on Tuesday.

He would join the BJD at a special function to be held at Bargarh on December 3. Sahu sent his resignation letter to BJP State president Basant Panda and met BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the latter’s residence at Naveen Nivas here.

Sahu’s resignation assumes significance in view of the coming Bijepur by-poll in the district, which has been necessitated by the death of incumbent Congress MLA Subal Sahu two months back.

Regarding his resignation, Narayan Sahu said he was not satisfied with the functioning of the party and was feeling “suffocated”.

“The BJP is a party that lacks ideology and ruled by ‘jealousy’. My selfless dedication towards the party from 1997 to 2017 meant nothing. Hence, I decided to join the BJD,” said Sahu adding, that he was part of the erstwhile Janata Party and now he returned to his family.

In his reaction, BJP president Basant Panda said his party doesn’t depend on any individual though it always respects party workers. Sahu’s resignation “will have no impact on the party’s prospects in the by-poll,’’ Panda added.